Craig Michael Wood was born on March 25, 1968. He grew up in Springfield, Missouri. Not much is known about his early family life or childhood.

As an adult, he worked as a paraprofessional in schools. He spent 16 years serving as a football coach at Pleasant View Middle School. He also held roles as a teacher's aide and a substitute teacher. Wood was involved in supervising suspensions at the school.

Wood had a few legal issues in his past. In 1990, he was found guilty of possessing a controlled substance and was fined. Later, in 2001, he was convicted for stealing wildlife.

Friends described Wood as never being married and not having children. He had a passion for music and was known as an amateur bluegrass musician.

On February 18, 2014, Hailey Owens was walking home from a friend's house in Springfield, Missouri. At approximately 5:00 p.m., Craig Michael Wood, driving a gold Ford Ranger truck, pulled over and asked Hailey for directions. When she approached him, he grabbed her and forced her into the truck.

Witnesses, Michelle and Carlos Edwards, saw the abduction take place. Michelle recorded the license plate number while Carlos chased the truck. Despite their efforts, the truck got away. When the Edwards called 911, they worked with others in the neighborhood to find Hailey's parents. The police traced the license plate back to Craig's parents, who informed them that Craig was the main driver of the vehicle.

The following day, Hailey's body was discovered in Craig Wood's home, hidden in two garbage bags within plastic storage containers located in the basement. She had been shot in the back of the head and showed signs of having been tied up. Additional evidence included video footage of Wood disposing of Hailey's clothes and purchasing bleach and Liquid Plumber.

Craig Wood's trial started on October 30, 2017. Prosecutors sought the death penalty, although the victim's family did not want that outcome. The defense claimed that while Wood committed the crimes, they were not premeditated. On November 2, 2017, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. The jury could not reach a unanimous decision regarding the death penalty, so the judge was responsible for sentencing.

On January 11, 2018, Judge Thomas Mountjoy sentenced Craig Wood to death by lethal injection. Despite initially opposing the death penalty, Hailey Owens' mother later expressed support for this verdict, stating that Wood "got what he deserved."

In the wake of Hailey's murder, a candlelight vigil was held, drawing thousands of participants that honored her memory. A neighborhood park was named Hailey's Playground in her memory. Furthermore, Hailey's family, together with Wood's family, advocated for Hailey’s Law to improve the response time for Amber Alerts. This law was passed in 2019 and took effect shortly after.